Nelson Mandela memorial organisers prepare to host diverse audience

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/09/nelson-mandela-memorial-preparations

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South African officials are preparing to host heads of state and celebrities ranging from Barack Obama to Naomi Campbell at Nelson Mandela's memorial on Tuesday. Also confirmed are the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, Prince Charles, Bono, Oprah Winfrey and the Spice Girls, the latter of whom Mandela dubbed his "heroes" after meeting them 16 years ago.

Security officials have flocked to the 95,000-capacity FNB stadium in Soweto where the seven-hour official memorial will be held. The stadium was the scene of Mandela's last public appearance, during the World Cup in 2010, and 20 years earlier it was filled to overflowing as Mandela addressed an ecstatic crowd two days after his release from jail.

Although the successful hosting of the World Cup has provided a blueprint for handing challenging security and logistical arrangements, officials have scrambled to organise the memorial with just five days' notice. The services will culminate in a funeral in Mandela's birthplace of Qunu on Sunday, when 9,000 people are expected to descend on the windswept village in Eastern Cape. "The whole world is coming to South Africa," said the foreign ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela. "I don't think it has ever happened before."

Trying to ward off disappointment among those who cannot attend, the government urged wellwishers to watch the events on big screens at viewing sites set up across the country. "At least 150 public viewing areas will be active at various times during this week," said the acting government spokeswoman Phumla Williams. At Table Mountain in Cape Town, a laser projection of Mandela's face will be displayed for the next week.

For dignitaries lucky enough to attend the memorial, a potential diplomatic minefield awaits. For instance, it could be the first time Obama and the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, meet face to face. But there will be no chance of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, bumping into Binyamin Netanyahu after the Israeli PM unexpectedly cancelled an earlier RSVP, claiming it was too expensive to make the trip.

Zelda la Grange, Mandela's personal assistant for more than a decade, told Reuters: "Tomorrow, people should all be honouring their relationship with Madiba. If it means shaking hands with the enemy, yes, I would like to see that. That is what Nelson Mandela was and actually is – bringing people together despite their differences."

Across the country, South Africans continued to celebrate the life of their former leader. Just after dawn on Monday a two-mile-long motorcade of cars full of ANC supporters left Cape Town for the former Victor Vesters prison, the last jail where Mandela was held and where, emerging alongside his former wife Winnie with his fist raised triumphantly, he marked his transformation from revolutionary fighter to elder statesman.

Inside the on-site house, a candle burned on the table where a historic settlement was reached between Mandela and the then president, FW De Klerk. "I'm feeling emotional, sad, but also honoured to have been alive during his lifetime," said Jo-Anne Aranes, a cleaner whose car was plastered in the green, gold and black of the ANC flag. Her 10-year-old daughter had accompanied her. "It's extra-special to me because my daughter is here to learn our history," she said.

Outside, a clutch of supporters stamped their feet and sang freedom songs. "If you send me, I will do the work," they sang.

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